This invention relates generally to a pedestal for a floatation sleep surface, and more particularly to a compact collapsable floatation sleep surface pedestal and a storage container therefor.
It is the general practice to support floatation sleep surfaces (fluid filled bladders) on pedestals. A pedestal typically includes a plurality of upstanding substantially parallel rigid members interconnected by substantially parallel cross-members forming an open-celled box-like structure. A platform is in turn supported on such structure. The platform forms the support for the floatation sleep surface, distributing its weight over a larger area than would be the case with perimeter frames for conventional sleep system. Like conventional sleep systems, floatation sleep surfaces are available in a variety of sizes. Thus, the pedestals must also be available in such sizes.
Pedestals of the described type have presented some fundamental problems to the floatation sleep industry. Due to variety of sizes of the pedestals and their construction, considerable storage space is required by the retailer of floatation sleep systems. Moreover, due to their size and weight, shipping costs from point of manufacture to the retailer are expensive; and, delivery to the end user and set-up requires a relatively large vehicle and considerably manual labor. One attempt to simplify floatation sleep surface pedestal constructure is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,705 issued Sept. 30, 1980. While this pedestal is collapsable for storage and adjustable for accommodating different size sleep surfaces, it still has considerable weight and is of a large overall size. Moreover, it cannot accommodate a drawer system often desired by users in their floatation sleep systems.